- Contact the Committee

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

I open my statement with the words of Admiral Chester W. Nimitz:
“They fought together as brothers-in-arms. They died together and now they
sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation.”

These words are inscribed on the World War II Memorial. They express
beautifully the idea that a nation’s greatness is reflected in the way it chooses to honor
its war dead. The words provide a moral compass for the American Battle Monuments
Commission’s worldwide commemorative programs.

As General Franks noted, we are focusing our efforts and resources on programs
and activities that contribute directly to accomplishing our strategic goals.
Our fiscal year 2007 appropriation request for $40.738 million funds the
Commission’s Salaries and Expenses Account as well as our Foreign Currency
Fluctuation Account.

For our Salaries and Expenses Account, we request $35.838 million to support
the Commission’s requirements for personnel costs, service fees, scheduled
maintenance and repairs, supplies, materials, spare parts, equipment replacement, and
capital improvements.

For our Foreign Currency Fluctuation Account, we request $4.9 million to
replenish the funds needed to defray losses experienced due to currency fluctuation so
we can maintain our buying power for services and materials to operate and sustain our
commemorative sites in the European and Mediterranean Regions.

Our facilities, most constructed following World War I and World War II, have
aged considerably. Over time, deterioration accelerates and the costs of materials,
labor and utilities increase around the world. We are allocating $2 million toward highpriority
engineering projects specifically designed to protect the American people’s
investment in the commemorative sites for which we are responsible. This funding will
be used to perform periodic maintenance and to correct deficiencies within our
infrastructure.

Since 2002, the Commission has been in the process of designing and
constructing an Interpretive Center at the Normandy American Cemetery in France.
The Center will tell the story of the 9,387 American soldiers buried at Normandy and the
1,557 missing in action memorialized there. Construction is progressing well, and we
plan to open the new center by early summer 2007.

Our FY 2007 appropriation request contains $1.042 million to fund the initial
costs for personnel, facilities maintenance and support necessary to initiate operations
at the new Normandy Interpretive Center. Associated with our appropriation request is
an increase in staffing levels from 391 to 404 Full-Time Equivalent positions to allow us
to hire personnel to staff the Center when it opens.

Our challenge is to sustain the high standards of excellence we have set in
maintaining our commemorative sites as shrines to America’s War Dead. Concurrently,
we plan to do a better job of telling the story of these uniquely splendid cemeteries and
memorials. They inspire patriotism, evoke gratitude, and teach lessons of history to all
who visit.

We are grateful for the support we receive from the House. The trust you place
in us and your understanding of our operational needs ensures that we have sufficient
resources, when we need them, to sustain our operations.

I would like to close by introducing the members of my staff that accompanied
me today:

• Brigadier General William Leszczynski, U.S. Army (Retired), Executive
Director and Chief Operations Officer;
• Guy Giancarlo, Director of Finance;
• Alan Gregory, Budget Officer;
• Tom Sole, Director of Engineering and Maintenance; and
• Mike Conley, Director of Public Affairs.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This concludes my opening statement. I will be
pleased to respond to your questions.